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Peter LaVilla is many things – a Jersey City native, the former mayor of Guttenberg, and a former Jersey Journal reporter. LaVilla is also a playwright and filmmaker whose offerings including “Mollie and Friends,” starring an Oscar nominee, are available on YouTube. And as LaVilla, 80, is holed up in his place in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida due to the pandemic, he’d like people to know his work is among their free viewing options as something different.

Included among his work is the aforementioned “Mollie and Friends,” which stars Rosemary Gore, Jeannie Evans, and Academy Award-nominee for Best Actress Sally Kirkland.

Kirkland specifically was nominated for her role in “Anna” (1987). Even if you don’t know her by name, her face has the kind of familiarity that comes from having been in everything – from “The Way We Were” to “Bruce Almighty” and recurring roles on TV on shows like “Roseanne.”

“Mollie and Friends” (also known as “Oak Hill” when it was originally released in 2008) is about the eponymous Mollie (Gore), a comedian in the Fozzie Bear tradition working at a shelter where she’s caught between trying to help two substance abusers, Madison and former actress Elizabeth St. James, played respectively by Evans and by Kirkland.

Kirkland’s role in LaVilla’s film is one of the rare times LaVilla doesn’t use local talent in his work. His former Journal colleague Ron Leir does appear in the film, as Leir does in more work available on LaVilla’s YouTube page.

“The only movie where I did not (use local talent) was ‘Mollie and Friends’ because that was a SAG movie, and most of the people that I hire locally are non-union, so that was a no-no with SAG.”

“Mollie and Friends” is unique among LaVilla’s film work for being a drama.

“(My films) are all to make people happy and make them laugh and feel good about themselves – not that ‘Mollie and Friends’ doesn’t make people feel good. It makes you look at times inward, rather than outward.”

The way LaVilla became a journalist in the first place seems to to speak to the way he’s approached much of his creative work.

“Back in the day I sent a letter to the guy who was the editor (of the Hudson Dispatch, later folded into The Jersey Journal) at the time … ‘You know, you do all this stuff about people from out of town and from New York, but what about the locals down here? You never do any work (on them), you never do any reviews.’ And then the guy called me and said, ‘Would you like a job doing it?’”

LaVilla reflected on his starting salary and being fortunate that rent at the Jersey City public housing he lived in at the time was according to how much you your salary was. He also reflected on later doing three one-act plays called “The 99 Cents Special” – “two of which were mine and one was one of the editors at The Jersey Journal,” he said.

The play was performed in the backroom of a Hoboken bar.

“We got a review in The New York Times. (The reviewer) called (one of the plays) ‘beyond gross.’ I took out an ad in The Journal, quoted the guy. I ran the show for eight more weeks. It was only 99 cents to get in.”

LaVilla can recall talking to people in the long line to see the play, finding out that many of them came from NYC because of that review.

“We know what gross is, but we don’t know what ‘beyond gross’ is,” one guy said, according to LaVilla.

The camaraderie of making something with friends, and of trying to make people laugh in a way that’s not unlike the vaudeville-like character he plays in “Mr. Las Vegas,” is something LaVilla built off of creatively.

“Mollie and Friends” star Gore co-starred with LaVilla in “Oil and Water,” where he played a veteran news man paired with Gore’s young gossip columnist character.

Gore had moved out to LA and became friendly with Kirkland, LaVilla said. She’s the one who suggested he reach out to Kirkland for the part in “Mollie and Friends.”

“I said (to her), you want me to call an A-list star?’ She said, ‘Call her.’ I gave her a call, I said, ‘Sally my name is blah blah blah. Rosemary told me to give you a shout. I got this script, would you be interested in reading it?’ I mailed it to her, about a week later she says, ‘Peter, I love the character, I want to make the movie.’”

In addition to having written the script, LaVilla has a role in the film as the director of the Oak Hill shelter.

Filmed at Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation (PERC) Soup Kitchen, in Union City, “Mollie and Friends” is a mixed bag bolstered by particularly endearing performances from Gore and Kirkland. It’s a film where you laugh and feel for the characters, but by virtue of the melodrama, you sometimes laugh a little at it.

Thematically it relies on stereotypes a little too much, and sometimes you wish for something more in tune with the energy of one of the most affecting scenes – where two quiet, emotive characters often in the background are having a meal together in the shelter and talking wistfully about where they came from originally, before their lives brought them there.

Like LaVilla – who still performs locally in Sunny Isles Beach and has made some his creative writing available on Amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com, it’s a little all over the place but not without its charms.

LaVilla’s work as a filmmaker also has a particular distinction as part of Netflix’s transition from DVD-mailers to streaming. “Mr. Las Vegas,” a feature film which he wrote and stars in,” was among Netflix’s original DVD offerings.

“What happened was, a friend of mine said call this distributor up in Los Angeles. ‘They’re just getting started and they need talent.’ So I sent them a copy and the guy loved it. I signed a 7-year contract.”

LaVilla later got an email about Netflix trying out something called “streaming,” he said.

Its gist: “Netflix said they’re taking 100 films to test this thing called streaming, and ‘Mr. Las Vegas’ is among the hundred films.”

“Mr. Las Vegas” was joined by “Oil and Water” for a long streaming stint on the platform, but the shuffling of new content has pared them down to being available for Netflix’s still available mail-in option. And now, for something different, you can see them on YouTube. Just search “Peter LaVilla” on YouTube.

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Historically speaking, did you know that:

George Washington Bridge: The George Washington Bridge spans the Hudson River between Fort Lee in Bergen County and 179th Street in Manhattan.

Georgian Court College: The Georgian Court College was first established at Lakewood in 1924. The buildings and gardens were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985.

German Evangelical Synod: The German Evangelical Synod first began in St. Louis in 1840. While mostly Midwestern, they also had many congregations in western New York.

Althea Gibson: Althea Neale Gibson, Aug. 25, 1927 to Sept. 28, 2003, became the first African American to win at Wimbledon and in U.S. championships in 1957.

Glaciation: New Jersey lies at the edge of the area glaciated by the Laurentide Ice Sheet

Glassmaking: Glassmaking was one of the first industries to take root in New Jersey, starting in 1739, with Wistarburgh Glass Manufactory in Salem County.

Golf: Golf did not take root in America until the late 1880s. While the modern game of golf originated in 15th-century Scotland, the game’s origins go even further back to ancient times.

Grasses: More than 70 species of grasses are found in New Jersey.

Great Depression: The Great Depression began with a stock market crash on Oct. 29, 1929, and lasted until America geared for protection for World War II.

Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital: Built in 1876, The Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital was built to alleviate overcrowding at the state’s only other “lunatic asylum” located in Trenton. It was ordered to be closed in 2008 as a result of deteriorating conditions and overcrowding.

Gulls: There are about 44 species of gulls in the world, three of which nest in New Jersey.

Guttenberg: The 0.1 square mile town in Hudson County was originally part of North Bergen. It was incorporated as a town on March 9, 1859.

Joseph Albright’s column appears on Thursdays in The Jersey Journal.

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GUTTENBERG — After eight years of planning and building, Guttenberg and North Bergen on Monday opened a new joint waterfront park.

The $3 million project, located on 1.5 acres on River Road, took roughly eight years to complete, in order to secure the necessary funding and due to weather-related delays in construction, according to town officials. The two towns hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday to celebrate the official opening of Waterfront Park, which will be operated by both Guttenberg and North Bergen.

"This was the missing component to the waterfront," North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco said before the ceremony. "It's an asset to the entire area."

Initially, the land — two-thirds of which falls within North Bergen— was pegged for waterfront condos. But when some residents raised concerns over development proposals, Guttenberg—with the help from the county—stepped in and bought a portion of the property, said Mayor Gerald Drasheff. The town started planning for a smaller park on its side of the land, but then learned that the developer no longer planned to build condos on the North Bergen portion of the property. The towns decided to team up, buy the remainder of the property and build a larger, shared park.

The park was fully funded through the Hudson County Open Space Trust Fund and New Jersey's Green Acres Program, the towns' officials said. The park is a boon for Guttenberg residents, Drasheff said, because the town is extremely congested and has very little available open space.

"This is the only real park in Guttenberg," he said. "There was no space where kids could take off their shoes and run in the grass. Now we have that."

The park features a playground, a picnic area, open grassy areas and a waterfront amphitheater. Concerts and other cultural events may be held in the amphitheater, but officials said they are still discussing the possibilities for the space.

A few residents attended Monday's ribbon cutting ceremony and could be seen checking out the playground equipment and the park's view of the Hudson River. David Evans, who was at the park with his wife and one-month old son, said his family recently moved to the area from New York City, so they were excited to have an easily accessible view of the waterfront.

"We live a block away, and it's nice to have something so stunning so close to the water," he said. "You don't get views like this in other parks, and you don't get Angry Birds play toys."

Kathryn Brenzel may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @katiebrenzel. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Walking into "GP's" restaurant in Guttenberg, the first thing you notice is how dark but inviting the old-school style establishment feels.

The owner, 39-year-old George Politis Jr., is the third generation of restaurateurs in Hudson County. His father George Politis Sr., opened the first "GP's" at 974 Blvd. East in Weehawken in 1968 before moving to the current location, a block from the Galaxy Towers at 69th Street, in 1977.

“I’m big on service, anyone that knows me knows that is what I am all about,” Politis said.

Growing up, Politis was pushed away from the business by his parents who wanted him to become a stock broker. When he was 20 years old studying at Long Island University in 1991, his father had a stroke and was unable to speak. The younger Politis quit school and started working full-time at the restaurant.

A few years later, after working in every aspect of the restaurant, he was scheduled to take the Series 7 exam, the final step before becoming a stock broker.

“The day of the exam, I just thought to myself ‘do I really want to clock in and out, do I really want to commute everyday?’” He never went to the exam and has dedicated his life to the restaurant.

Owner: George Politis Jr., 39, of Bellevue Avenue in Guttenberg.

How they got started: His grandfather, James Politis, owned the old Union Club catering hall in Hoboken in 1934. After he sold it, George Politis Sr. opened up the Railhead Bar at the Hoboken train station after in 1958. Ten years later, the elder George opened "GP's" in Weehawken and moved it to Guttenberg in 1977.

What you will find: The restaurant offers a full bar, valet service, and outdoor dining. The menu is classic Italian-American with recipes that were developed over 30 years ago by Politis' father and mother Pat.

What makes them unique: Service. Whether it's head chef Manny Nolasco or head waiter Joso Curko, "GP's" makes it a point to offer everything with a smile and a handshake.

Price Points: Appetizers like stuffed mushrooms and crab cake start from $8.50 to $13.50. Pasta dishes like gnocchi or fettucine with your choice of sauce is $17.50. They also have New York strip steaks for $22.50 and veal dishes for $21.50. Wines go from $8.50 a glass to $45 a bottle.

Future: Politis was poised to have a second restaurant open up in Hamilton Square in Jersey City just four years ago, but decided against it when the economy tanked. He plans to open a second place in Jersey City within a year after he finds a location.

A fire involving a remodeled three-story wood-frame, mixed-occupancy building resulted in a labor-intensive battle by firefighters from the North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue that protects five Hudson County (NJ) municipalities.

Shortly after 9 p.m., on November 19, 2021, an AFA assignment of three engines, one truck and a battalion chief were dispatched to 201-70^th Street in the town of Guttenberg, New Jersey. Police Officer Jabber arrived and reported smoke in the rear of the first-floor restaurant. Upon arrival of the first fire companies, the assignment was filled out, dispatching another engine, truck, rescue, safety officer, rapid intervention team, and Deputy 1.

Firefighters made an interior attack as smoke continued to thicken. All occupants of the restaurant and apartments were removed and a second alarm was transmitted. Interior units reported fire traveling “voids on the ‘C’ side,” and a third alarm was struck by Deputy Chief Mike Falco.

Inside the building, firefighters were compelled to pull tin ceilings to find hidden fire, a labor-intensive operation. Heavy smoke rolled out of the building and covered the neighborhood. Fire eventually broke through the roof of the structure located at the corner of Broadway. Flames attracted a New York TV station news helicopter that flew overhead to cover the story.

Numerous handlines were used along with a lot of “truck work.” The first two ladder companies on the assignment were aerial ladders. The second alarm truck, Tower Ladder 3, was a block away due to the narrow and congested streets that are common in this area. Truckies used an aerial ladder and saws to open up the top-floor sidings on Broadway, where firefighters had difficulty gaining access to flames from the interior. After the heavy fire was knocked down, apparatus was moved from the Broadway side of the building and Tower Ladder 3was placed into position. Firefighters opened up the space along the “B” side of the building to expose the hidden flames and knocked them out with a tower monitor.

One firefighter suffered nonlife-threatening injuries and was taken to Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, where he was treated and released.

The main body of fire was was knocked down around 10:40 p.m. Weary firefighters took breaks outside of the building and walked a block away from the scene to the Gong Club canteen truck for bottled water, hot chocolate, or coffee.

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